The invention concerns a mowing arrangement with a carrier that can be moved in the upward direction with at least one carrier part for the support of one or more mowing units.
Mowing arrangements, in particular for grass, are provided with a mowing head whose inclination to the ground can be adjusted, in order to avoid the entry of stones or other foreign objects, in order to attain a particular height of the stubble and in order to create an equalization when the wheels of the carrier vehicle sink into the ground.
The adjustment of this so-called cutting angle is performed by a change in the length of the upper suspension arm in mowing arrangements that are connected to a front or rear three-point implement hitch. In towed mowing arrangements, for example, according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,625, a mowing head engages lower suspension arms so as to pivot vertically from a frame. Between the upper side of the mowing head and the frame, an upper suspension arm extends that can be varied in length in order to adjust the cutting angle of the mowing head relative to the ground.
The problem underlying the invention is seen in the fact that adjustment of the cutting angle is awkward and hence is performed only in special circumstances.
According to the present invention, there is provided an improved arrangement for adjusting the cutting angle of mowing heads.
An object of the invention is to provide a mower unit suspension that allows the cutting angle to be easily adjusted from an operator""s platform, so that this is utilized optimally and the correct cutting angle is selected each time. For example, at the edge of a field a flat cutting angle of 0 degrees can be selected so that no stones or the like are picked up which could damage the mowing head or heads or contaminate the forage, while after the first pass of the mower the cutting angle is repositioned to approximately 4 to 6 degrees, so that the remaining stubble is not too high. Such a repositioning arrangement that can be controlled remotely may be a mechanical linkage as well as a push-pull cable control, a hydraulic motor or an electric motor which, in particular, can be controlled electrically.
A more specific object of the invention is to provide a mower unit mounting including a first or base carrier part attached to the carrier vehicle so as to pivot vertically and so as to be loaded by a lifting arrangement, the lifting range being increased beyond the adjustment range of the cutting angle by a simple pivoting movement. In the case where the carrier vehicle is designed as that of a self-propelled forage harvester, the bearings of, for example, a chopper drum attached to the carrier vehicle, can be used simultaneously as bearings for the first carrier part.
Yet a more specific object is to provide a second carrier part pivotally mounted to the base carrier part for vertical pivoting movement about a horizontal transverse pivot bearing axis arranged above a remotely operable adjusting device such that a repositioning is also possible in cases in which the mowing arrangements, for example, with self-propelled mowing vehicles is modified, and is either not retained by an upper steering arm or no space is available above for an adjusting arrangement.
Still, another object of the invention is to provide an adjusting arrangement for achieving a uniform repositioning of the cutting angle of several mowing units, this being possible if several mowing units are attached to the second carrier part, for example, two mowing units in a mirror-image arrangement. This characteristic reduces the manufacturing cost and the operator effort. The mirror-image arrangement and thereby the arrangement at an equal spacing from the carrier vehicle has the effect that a repositioning of the second carrier part leads to the same changes in the cutting angle.
A further object of the invention is to provide a mowing arrangement for high performance in a self-propelled configuration equipped with several mowing units that are arranged offset to each other in the direction of mowing, and including a cutting angle adjusting or positioning arrangement designed to avoid developing differing cutting angles due to lever arms of differing lengths by making provision for a further mowing unit attached, in particular by an arm so as to pivot vertically on the second carrier part or a fourth carrier part connected to it, and that a positioning arrangement is located between the first carrier part and the front-mounted mowing unit, so that a form of parallelogram linkage results which guarantees a parallel guidance and thereby to equal cutting angles on all mowing units. In its simplest form the adjusting or positioning arrangement may be of invariable length, for example, a chain, a rope, a strut or the like. The fourth carrier part, that is connected with the second carrier part carrying the side mowing units, makes it possible to apply a standard mowing unit or a mowing unit as is otherwise applied in the mowing arrangement, and to attach it offset to the remaining mowing units. The uniform movement relative to the ground is assured by the rigid connection with the second, movable carrier part.
Yet another specific object of the invention is to provide an adjusting or positioning arrangement as set forth in one or more of the previous objects and to further provide an arrangement of the transmission to the side of the adjusting or positioning arrangement which prevents it from touching or even damaging the third or the first carrier during a vertical movement of the fourth carrier part. Furthermore an unimpeded routing of drive shafts or the like is possible.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a mowing arrangement as defined in any of the previous objects wherein the use of a positioning arrangement between the second and the fourth carrier parts makes it possible to raise and remove the mowing unit attached to the fourth carrier part independent of one or more other mowing units and thereby to bring it into a non-operating position, or to overrun an obstacle without any other trouble.
Another object of the invention is to provide a mowing arrangement having, in addition to a cutting angle adjusting arrangement, as defined in one or more of the foregoing objects, a mowing unit mounted to a horizontally pivoted arm for making it possible, on the one hand, to increase the mowing width and, on the other hand, to reduce the width of the mowing arrangement for transport operation.
Although it would fundamentally be possible to reposition the carrier and with it all participating mowing units in the height by means of a parallelogram or the like then the repositioning in height resulting from a pivoting process does offer advantages due to the simple movements and parts in the manufacture and reliability. In view of the fact that the first carrier part is in contact with the lifting arrangement only in one direction, but is free in the other direction, unnecessary loading of the lifting arrangement is avoided, when the carrier vehicle operates through a depression and the carrier with the mowing units cannot follow the lifting arrangement that is moving downward by reason of the inertia.
The use of a connecting console, that is, an adapter, a coupling or the like for the connection of the mowing unit with the particular arm, has the advantage that mowing units are easily dismounted and mounted and thereby can be replaced. The connection in joints makes it possible that the mowing unit can conform to irregularities in the ground.
Rapid interchangeability of individual mowing heads for maintenance purposes can be easily accomplished if the take-ups on all mowing heads are provided with interchangeable connecting flanges and a pivot bearing with a horizontal pivot axis extending in the direction of mowing. In this way either identical flanges or hole patterns or flanges with hole patterns can be applied, that fit each mowing head. Couplings with pins, hook couplings and the like are conceivable for the connection.
The drawing shows an embodiment of the invention that shall be described in greater detail in the following.